New Day, New Faces
by Andrew The Cyborg
Summary: 3 weeks after the events in Crossing The Line, an OC awakes from a long slumber, catching up on the latest as he greets his friends. Contains mild language and 1 very mild sex reference.
1. Chapter 1

**New Day, New Faces**

**Please Note: I do recommend reading my story "Crossing the Line" before this one. It isn't essential, but you'll be able to pick it up without it.**

"Do You Mind?"

"What?"

"I don't read sleazy magazines when you're in the room". These were the first words spoken by Lennox to his female teammate Ailith when he awoke from his month-long slumber. He woke up naturally, she didn't wake him. If she did, he would've throttled her. It was now nearly the end of the winter break, and the carpets of snow around Beacon had begun to melt. In a week, it would be spring, and lessons would start again in a few days. It was now 8 o'clock, Thursday morning.

The interaction between Ailith and Lennox which just took place was in reference to a book that Ailith was reading: "_Ninjas of Love_". It had been somewhat controversial when it was first released.

"Where did you get that anyway? I thought they didn't sell them to young adults. And they don't have any of that stuff in the library. I know, 'cos Pan looked for a copy".

"Oh, this isn't mine; I just got it on a loan from Blake, in team RWBY".

"_Blake Belladonna_? Well, I knew she bookish, but I never would have guessed she was into _that_", he said jokingly.

"Oh god, please don't tell her I told you!" She exclaimed in a slight panicking sense of desperation.

"Relax, I'd never tell on you. Damn your cuteness", he said teasingly. She turned her head downward toward the book again and cast him a look that said _really?_ She was about to read again, but then they heard the footstep pattern that belonged to Oliver, their team leader. She quickly thrust the book between the end of her bed and the wall and slotted her reading glasses into her top pocket. Oliver appeared in the doorway and promptly spotted that Lennox had awoken.

"Ah! The Kraken Awakes!" he said with a grin, marching over to his own bed and collapsing on top of it.

"Oh, it's lovely to feel appreciated," Lennox replied, "and yes, I slept very well, thank you". He began to sit up, revealing the slight excess weight that he had deliberately put on prior to hibernation.

"Yeah, good for you", Oliver said. He had lost all patience after his 3rd hibernation cycle. This was the 4th that he'd been around to see. "Has anyone seen my wallet? I thought I might go into town later, pick up some lightning Dust". Lightning Dust gave his Katanas a little extra sting in a fight, so he used this dust to sharpen them.

"Top draw", Ailith said, pointing to his bedside cabinet. He slid open the draw and took the brown leather case from inside.

"Thank you" He said to her. Meanwhile, just behind him, Lennox was dressing himself in that Lime green open jacket with a white shirt. Oliver himself was wearing a similar shirt, except that his was an old military-issue drill shirt. It had been his father's, who was shorter than he was growing up and so was a perfect fit for Oliver by the time he was 17. He was also wearing black jeans, blue trainers with a thin green stripe around the back and a belt with extra pockets. His clothing was a little dull compared to Lennox's apparel. He wore that jacket, and light blue jeans, not too different from his own, darkish yellow boots, and an ammo bandolier for his sub-machinegun. Ailith was wearing her regular violet pleated skirt, Cobalt-blue trainers and an azure blue long-sleeved shirt. This shirt had a similarly-coloured hood knitted onto it. Her weapon, a sword able to split into 2, was lying on the floor in its sheath next to her bed.

"Oi, Gorgeous", Lennox said, directed at Ailith, "you know where The Wolverine is?" This question was in reference to Panacea, their other teammate, who had artificial claws from the back of her wrists as weapons, which seemed to be retractable. He had seen a girl in a red dress in a club once with similar weapons, but from what Lennox told him, this nickname derived from a comic book character. Lennox had nicknames for everyone. And that did mean everyone. Ailith sighed.

"The last I heard from her, she went to pick up breakfast at the cafeteria" She explained. Lennox's stomach suddenly emitted a load rumble.

"I've just realised, I'm starvin'!" He exclaimed. Oliver was now at the doorway, half in, half-out of the room. He looked down at Lennox's stomach for a moment, then back up.

"Really? It certainly doesn't look it…" he said with a smirk as he began his half-run out of the room.

"Oi!" Lennox shouted as he began his chase after him. After a moment, they were both running through the corridor.

Ailith smiled a moment, then her face saddened, as she withdrew into her own thoughts.

That was just it. It was always "_Oi, Gorgeous" _or "Good _morning, Ailith"_ from the boys. Not just in team OPAL, but in their year. It was never "_Hey, Ailith, want to do something this weekend?" or "I was going to get a coffee, would you like to come get a drink with me?" _What was it about her that repelled the boys? Was it her looks? Did they find her unattractive? Or were they intimidated by her? She always felt so lonely never having a boy ask her out or even approach her. Actually, this was why she was reading books like _Ninjas of Love_; mostly because she was lonely. Boys such as Oliver, she could understand. He was everything a girl could look for in a guy: he was smart, funny, sharp-witted, athletic, gentlemanly, a smooth talker, and even musical. He was also very fit (she knew, she had once peeked around the door while he was changing. His six-pack was clearly visible). He could have any girl he wanted if he put his mind to it. She'd bet he could even have that Weiss Schnee from team RWBY if he wanted (That snooty, spoilt, pompous girl with a ton of cash, heiress to the Schnee dust company. Most boys would sell their soul for a chance with Weiss). And there was that incident a few weeks ago when he was the knight in shining armour to that Faunus girl. She even knew about that part when she kissed his cheek in the courtyard. See? He could have any girl, even if he'd only known her for a day. He was just spoilt for choice when it came to girls. Why would he choose her? She wasn't anything special. She was just your average, everyday girl who he saw as nothing more than a friend. A single tear began to crawl its way out of her eye and onto her cheek. She wiped it and her medium blue hair out of the way and to the side. She looked to the end of the bed, considering. She decided against more of that book. She could no longer stand fictional stories of romances between perfect lovers. She got herself up and walked over to the mirror on the wardrobe door. At least she had dressed presentably. She picked her purse from the table and slid it into her pocket while making her way out of the room, and closing the door behind her. _Maybe a movie will cheer me up_, she thought.

* * *

The chase had now stopped, inconclusively, when Professor Port had told them not to run in the corridors. They were now on the ground floor, heading in the general direction of the cafeteria. They were still cracking wise about each other, with the occasional knock on the shoulder. When they got there they collected their breakfast on their trays. While walking to their tables, and after a good laugh about Port's weight, Oliver's tone suddenly grew more serious.

"Lennox...Can I ask you a serious question?"

"Sure, mate. What's on your mind?"

"Well, it's like this…" he attempted to explain, "What do you think of…Ailith?" he asked quietly.

"What do I think? Well, I mean, she's brilliant. Never quite seen anyone who could fight like that, or move that fast".

"No, no, not like that…"Oliver stopped him mid-step. "I mean, what do you _think_? Of _her_?"

Lennox paused.

"I don't follow". They stood still for a moment. Oliver made a gesture for him to think.

"Oh. OH! What do I _think? _Like _that_? Oh, um, wow" he stopped himself. "Well, let's start with the basics. I'll say this…I have never seen one that, y'know, _beautiful_ before"

"Or since" Oliver added to his friend's sentence. He picked up a choc-chip cookie from his tray and took a bite.

"I agree. Lovely voice, too"

"Maybe you'd hear more of it if your conversations didn't start with "_Oi! Gorgeous!_" " Oliver imitated the snake-man's accent.

"Look, you wanna hear what I've got to say or not?" He asked, slightly irritated, yet slightly amused.

"Absolutely. Just-" Oliver was cut off by a noise from the far side of the cafeteria hall. Oliver adjusted his eyes slightly to see its source. There he saw Velvet, boxed in against the wall by, yes, of course, Cardin and his thugs. Sky Lark was out of the emergency room now, but he now had face scars that the doctor said would never heal completely.

"These goons just never learn, do they?" asked Lennox, pressing his tray into the his friend's chest. Oliver has no choice but to take it from him.

"Just scare him, OK?" Oliver asked. Lennox didn't respond. He just kept approaching CRDL and rolling up his sleeves.

"OI! WINCHESTA! SOD ORF!" was the warning sent to the bully. The bullies barely even had to look that way to recognise that accent. They all turned heel and ran, leaving the Faunus girl quivering in the corner.

"You alright, little lady?" He asked her when he approached her, this time rolling down his sleeves. She looked up at him, relieved. Of course she had heard the stories about the Snake Faunus showing Winchester who's boss on a regular basis, but she never expected him to be so defensive of the Faunus. Or maybe she did. The Faunus do like to take care of their own, after all. What she really didn't expect was for him to be a team member of the boy who had helped her just weeks ago. Oliver continued to approach the two.

"Ah, don't mention it." He finished up his short conversation with her. "Faunus have to stick together. Come on, sit with us" gestured the boy, handing her the tray that he had picked up from the nearest table. He then approached Oliver, who handed him his own tray.

"Here", he asked, "What's up with pretty-boy's face? He get hit by a train or summin?"

Oliver avoided the question, turning to the girl.

"Good Morning, Velvet", he said, nodding slightly as he did it. She nodded back with a slight smile.

"You too, Oliver", She replied. Lennox donned a look of bewilderment and confusion.

"OK, am I missing something here?"

The boy in black and the Rabbit-Eared girl exchanged smiles.

"Alright. Sit down, We'll tell you all about it".

* * *

**I do intend to write another story, entering Panacea into the story, and maybe developing Oliver-Ailith a bit more. Please review! I would love to hear what you think!**

**Update****: Continue on Chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Right. It's half past 10 at night, I feel sleep deprived and I have to get up early tomorrow. Still, it's Saturday tomorrow; more time for writing (Yay!)**

**Also, I was going to submit this as a new story, but realized it would work better as a new chapter.**

* * *

Given the past few interactions that had taken place between the two boys from Team OPAL, and the small incident involving Velvet being bullied, the two gentlemen had forgotten one clear detail that was missing from the morning. This detail was that since Panacea had gone to the cafeteria for breakfast, she should have been in the room to meet them. She was, however, nowhere to be seen. The tall, dark gentleman and the pale-faced reptilian had both failed to notice this.

In fact, the lady in question was outside, on her way from the library to the cafeteria. She had stopped there to follow up an inquiry as to whether the librarian had found any copies a book, or if in fact they had any copies. Unfortunately for her, the library seemed to hold no copies of the book. Still, Panacea was a cheerful, confident young woman who was always wearing a smile and holding her head up high. She had long, deep purple hair, bronze shoes, and colour-coded steel armour to match. She also seemed to be the only girl at beacon who had the entirety of her legs covered, in her case with black leggings. In addition to the aforementioned claws, she was also able to tap magic during fights and use it offensively. Her semblance also gave her the ability to heal her teammates in battle, but not herself. This made her teammates very protective of her in battle.

As she walked past the windows at the forecourt, she noticed the sad, melting snowman to the side of the pathway, built with care by its creators Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc and Nora Valkyrie. She beamed. 3 college students, two almost adults, training to become monster slayers at one of the most prestigious academies Remnant. Apparently, there are just some things that one simply cannot grow out of.

She turned her head, looking through the window to the cafeteria. There she saw two familiar figures: a fierce yet lovable pale face above a green jacket, & a white drill shirt with, a well-organized head of sharp, black hair, and a Katana showing from the waist (Oliver always wore one katana by his side when not in full battle uniform). They seemed to be sitting next to the young Faunus girl, Velvet (after last month's incident, everyone knew her name). She was sitting next to Oliver, who had his back to the window. Oliver moved his hands and said something to Lennox, who banged his fist on the table and laughed in approval. She grew her natural smile wider. She sped up her pace a little, and made for the cafeteria.

* * *

"So what happened then?" asked the pale face.

"Then he jumped into me and took me onto the floor", explained Oliver, "But I kicked him over my head"

"I was terrified this whole time" Added Velvet.

"Ah, this guy's got nothin'. I would've taken his arms off first time he said freaks", he said to her.

"I guessed" said Oliver, "Which is why I was glad you were in hibernation"

"Ah, you should've choked him there an then"

"Look, do you want to hear this bloody story or not?"

"'Course I do"

"Right", Oliver continued.

* * *

By this point, Panacea had entered the cafeteria and was now picking up breakfast. She began to walk over to the table where her two teammates and their lady friend were seated, when she looked to one side and notice the teams RWBY and JNPR sitting on one table together. She recalled all their names, and their nicknames given from Lennox. At the end of the table was Jaune (nicknamed _MopHead_). Further on, there was Pyrrha (Wonder Woman), Nora, (Devastator) Ren (Ninja!), and on the other side of the table, starting at Jaune's side, was Blake (Poison Ivy), Ruby (Sprog), Yang (Rapunzel) and at the end of the table sat the holder of Panacea's personal favourite nickname: Wiess Schnee, Affectionately known by Lennox as _The Ice Witch_. Panacea broke this thought and her smile and continued toward her friends' table.

"So what did he say?" asked Lennox.

"Not much. Just that such actions may only be taken by myself in situations which dictate that a use of self-defence may be necessary and therefore implemented. Or was it Goodwitch that said that? Never mind, one of them said it, and basically I can't hit Winchester again unless he tries to hit me first".

"Somehow, I doubt that's gonna happen" Lennox replied.

"Hey", Velvet spoke up, "How come you've never been reprimanded for knocking Cardin senseless?" This question was directed at her fellow Faunus. Lennox's face broke into a smile.

"'Cos _I've_ never been caught doin' it". His eyes looked to Oliver with a smug look. Oliver rolled his eyes off the end of the table, thereby spotting his purple-haired teammate, Panacea.

"Ah! I thought we'd forgotten something", he said, once again standing up as a lady approached him.

"A good morning to you too", She smiled. Oliver turned to Velvet.

"Velvet, this is Panacea, one of our teammates. Panacea, this is Velvet, the young lady I-erm… assisted her last month".

"Mmm. So I've heard" She said with the same look that Ailith had given to Lennox- the one that said _Really? _(Of course she, like everyone else, had heard about this "Assistance")_. _She turned to Velvet and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you" said the rabbit-eared girl.

"Likewise", replied her counterpart. She approached Lennox's side of the table and sat down next to him. Oliver swiftly followed.

"Nice to see that you're awake, Snake" She said to Lennox.

"Yeah, nice to see you too, _Femme Fatale_" He replied.

"So what were you talking about?" asked the newcomer.

"Actually, I was just finishing the story about last month's…incident" Oliver explained.

"Hmm. From what I heard, he managed to skive off the last few days of school" She replied.

"Melodramatic git," contributed Lennox. "I bet he got a few bruises at most". Oliver spoke up.

"Oh, I assure you, it was much more than that. But anyway: Panacea. What News on the Rialto?"

"Another Dust store robbery"

"OH!" Lennox exclaimed, "Don't tell me: _Clockwork Orange_?"

Oliver turned to Velvet. "He means that Roman Torchwick fellow".

"I see" Replied Velvet. Panacea returned to the conversation.

"That's who the police think were behind it, but they don't have anything solid to go on now, only eyewitnesses".

"I do fear that this shall incur the wrath of the Ice Witch" Said Lennox, followed by much sniggering.

"I hope you don't call her that in front of her face" Said Velvet.

"Nah. That would hurt" He said.

"What else?" Oliver asked Panacea.

"Another White Fang attack. This time it was a harbour, apparently they stole a fortune in Dust".

Lennox remained silent, with an interesting look on his face. Then Velvet spoke up.

"I suppose this is what the government calls terrorism"

"Yep, I suppose it is", replied Panacea.

"Well, behind terror is oppression" said Oliver. The others looked at him. "I'm just saying that Schnee brought this upon himself. He could at least give his workers respect for making them what he is". He looked around the room, and noticed that Weiss was glaring at him. She stood up and approached their table.

Dammit.

* * *

**So, yeah. Weiss will get a little bitchy in the next installment. Which may be a while, since I'm behind on several essays at college. Still, I'll get it to you as soon as I can.**


End file.
